Assets & Needs Assessment #3

May 2022

As part of the first Assets & Needs Assessment, Teaching Lab conducted a variety of data collection activities, including a teacher survey and classroom observations, a student survey and analysis of student work samples, and a family survey.

Summary of Results

• The majority of participating teachers gave positive feedback on the coaching experiences.

  • 100% of participants who responded to the End of Coaching Feedback Survey reported that they were satisfied with the overall quality of the coaching and the support they received, that the strategies were easy to implement, and that they had already applied or would apply what they have learned to their practice.

• Teachers improved their confidence in culturally responses and sustaining education (CRSE) practices, especially teaching curriculum to students from historically marginalized groups, revising instructional material to include a better representation of cultural groups, and adapting instruction to meet the needs of their students.

• Teachers’ instructional practices improved over their time in the coaching series, especially related to Core Actions 2 and 3.

• Students reported that their learning experiences improved over time for all constructs (experiencing CRSE, teacher-student relationships, self-efficacy, happiness and sense of belonging, and being challenged).

• The most significant finding was the increase in teachers who assigned grade-level work (65% to 77%) and students’ proficiency on these tasks: for the first round of student work samples, 31% of students demonstrated proficiency on grade-level tasks, which increased to 53% of students for the second round of samples.

Although the response rate was low for the second administration of the family survey, results point to improvements in the family experience and their perception of student learning.

Section 1: Participant Feedback

Section 2: Mindsets

Section 3: Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Teachers answered eight questions related to content and pedagogical content knowledge, including strategies for students with unfinished learning and equitable instruction. The score below is the overall percent correct (note: some questions had multiple correct answers and were worth more than one point).

Section 4: Instructional Practices

Teaching Lab staff observed teachers using the IPG rubric. Ratings of 3 and 4 on 4-point Likert scales and Yes on a Yes/No items were considered positive.

Section 5: Student Learning Experiences

Teachers administered a student survey to at least one of their groups. Using 5-point Likert-type scales, students responded to eight items related to their teachers’ engagement in CRSE practices, three items related to teacher-student relationships, five items about self-efficacy, six items about happiness and sense of belonging, and five items about being challenged. Responses were averaged across items. Higher scores correspond to more positive experiences.

Section 6: Student Math Proficiency

Teachers collected student work samples of a task that involved explaining mathematical thinking or reasoning from all students in at least one of their groups. Teaching Lab coaches first determined whether the task was on grade-level and whether it met the criteria of explaining mathematical thinking or reasoning. If so, then the work samples were scored using a 2-point rubric. Students who scored 2 on the rubric were considered to demonstrate proficiency on the grade-level task.

Section 7: Family Experiences & Perceptions

Schools and teachers assisted in sending home a voluntary survey to their students’ families. Using Likert-type scales, caregivers responded to seven items related to teacher-family relationships and support, five items related to teacher-student relationships, and two items related to their child’s learning. Responses were averaged across items. Higher scores correspond to more positive family perceptions and experiences.